Cheltenham Town were saddened to learn of the passing of former player Bobby McCool last week.
Winger Bobby McCool was a key member of Cheltenham Town's 1963-64 promotion team.
Beginning his career as a junior with Rangers alongside Bobby Grant, McCool played Scottish Junior football with Ormiston Primrose and joined Third Lanark of Scottish League Division One in February 1960.
He appeared for their first team at the age of 17 and made three Scottish League appearances for The Thirds, remaining at Cathkin Park until April 1962 when he was released having failed to regain a first team place after suffering a broken ankle.
McCool was selected for a tour of Canada with a Scottish Select XI in the summer of 1962 and was invited to stay in the country by Canadian club Hamilton Steelers.
However, he returned to the UK after a short spell and was recruited by Arch Anderson as part of the second wave of Scottish players to join Cheltenham Town in the early 1960s.
In his first season with Cheltenham Town McCool starred in the run to the FA Cup first round - scoring the only goal of the fourth round qualifying victory over Minehead - and he contributed nine league goals the following season as the Robins finished third in Southern League Division One and won promotion back to the Premier Division.
A fast raiding winger and good ball player, McCool, who stood 5ft 7ins and played at 10 and a half stone, could operate wide on either flank and also had a spell at centre forward during the 1963-64 season. He spent the 1964-65 season as a regular in the Premier Division side but dropped down the reckoning at the start of the 1965-66 campaign and joined Gloucester City.
McCool went on to spend 10 years at Horton Road, making over 300 appearances and earning a testimonial with the club in 1972-73. He was voted Player of the Year in both 1967 and 1968 and was a member of the team that won promotion to the Premier Division and won the Southern League Merit Cup as highest goal scorers in 1968-69 .
After leaving Gloucester he played for Bishop’s Cleeve briefly before settling into a career outside football at Smiths Industries.